Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1887-03-05
SEEING A BATTLE.
BY JAMES FRANKLIN FITS.

pened to me once under peculiar circum-
stances, and magnificent sight it was.
This occurred at Fishers Hill, Va, Sept.
%, 1864.
Two days before we woke from our biv-
ouacs beyond Winchester, with ranks de-
pleted by the battle, somewhat tired yet
with its labors and excitements, and ex-
pecting to march at once in pursuit of
the enemy. Everything was soon in mo-
! ton; the cavalry thrown out far in the
advance, the infantry marching through
the fields in three columns. and the ar
tillery taking the pike. From VIM
chester to Strasburg is twenty miles; Fish
er's Hill is just beyond the latter place.
Kearnstown, Newtown and Middletown are
on the pike along this route, and the whole
region was an old battle ground. About
every square foot of it had been fought
over since the spring of 1869. For the first
time our arms were thoroughly successful
here; for the very first time, after the war
had progressed three years and half, a
| Union army was following up thoroughly
beaten and retreating enemy.
| General Sheridan felt decidedly we'll that
morning. His famous dispatch about
Sending Early whirling up the Valley"
had gone by telegraph the night before to
| Washington, and was at this moment cleo
! trifying the country. Winchester was the
first positive, clear cut, decided victory that
our arms had gained since Sherman occu-
pied Atlanta, and both people and army
| felt well over it. AS our army footed il
along with the route step, about ten o'clock
that morning, Sheridan and his staff over
took us. | noticed that he wore a new pair
of long buckskin gauntlets. The men
, cheered him, of course, and he bowed
| But it was plain to be seen that he was "all
business" and had no time for fuss or pa
rade. There was not much of the banner
and band of music" style about this man
on campaign. He would have review
when he thought it necessary for the spirit
and encouragement of his army, or any
part OF it; but he seemed in his natural ele-
ment when he was putting the "go" into
everybody and everything-as he was this
| morning.
| AS the great peaks of the Massanutton
Mountains, and the frowning wall of Fish
er's Hill began to appear in the dim dis
lance, signs of something on hand were
seen. The throb and boom of artillery
came family back to us. We saw staff
officers and orderlies flying up the pike and
across the fields. The Signal Corps were
we'll out to the front, and from an emf
hence, from the roof of a house, barn, or
tree, their waving flags were sending
|
1t was wonderful and most useful arm
of the service. Their value on this cam
paign was very great. Not only by day.
light did they signal as far as their flags
could be seen, but at night, with waving
lanterns, from the high SUBMITS of this re-
| pon, they were known to send news at
| distance Of ten and even fifteen and
| twenty miles.
Before night we halted outside of Stras-
burg. Our pickets were at the north end
| of the town, and the enemys at the south
of it. No fires could be allowed, for they
would have invited hostile she'll. My
regiment was bivouacked in q ravine, and
before lying down that night we partook of
sumptuous repast of tack, raw salt
pork, and water. Manys the time since
that l paid dollar for q meal that I
relished far less than that humble smack. !"
| The next morning some Of Sheridan's
| infantry charged through the town and
drove out the Confederate pickets. Sheri-
dan and the other Generals rode out well in
front of Strasburg, accommodating the
enemy's position. Some high ground, we'll
| advanced from the hill, Early had seized
| for an outpost, and this Sherman deter
mined to have, TO demonstrate from. A
brigade of the Sixth Corps was sent In and
| took it after a stiff fight. During the rest
of the day the woodchoppers' axes were
| heard from this position, as they forti-
| fed it,
Pretty much the whole of this day was
| occupied in getting the army into position.
The Sixth Corps held the right, facing tho
hill; the Eighth was held back in reserve,
| for movement that Sheridan was medi-
| tating; the Nineteenth was on the left, its
| left flank "reposed," or thrown back to
L. II
River, on which it rested.
1t was quite dark when an order came to
| our regiment to go out and relieve the One
Hundred and Sixteenth New York. on
| picket, taking the extreme left of our line.
We fell in, formed tours, and started.
| We had n guide who knew something of
| the situation and the route to it, but who
| was not entirely certain, and he caused us
some unnecessary marching, which did not
| improve our temper. don't know of any
| thing that is more irritating to officers in
command of troops than to go laundering
along on dark night, searching for a po-
| sitIon that they are ordered 10 take imme-
| diately, but the location of which they must
find as they go. The best of tempers will
sometimes give way under that kind of Il
strain, as some of ours did that night.
We were directed out through the town,
beyond its eastern extremity. Had there
been any light, we should have discovered
| that we were about TO cross the Manassas
| Gap Railroad. We did discover the fact,
| but it was only by stumbling over the track
when numerous "officers and gentlemen"
as we'll as men with the musket, sprawled
at full length on the sacred soil.
But everything has an end, and we final
~ got into position and relieved the other
| regiment. Our Major was the only field
officer present; the Colonel had been
wounded at Winchester. and the Lieutenant
Colonel at Pleasant Hill, away up the Red
River. Major Curtiss took the left wing as
q reserve, and established himself with it
Just within the town. |, being tho senior
Captain present, was ordered to take the
>ther five companies, keep a small reserve
further out, and relieve the pickets with the
Others.
This was done in profound darkness,
and, as my custom was on such occasions,
travelled the whole length of the line with
the relief. that l might learn something of
the location of the pickets. But it was
useless to hope for much information in
that obscurity. l knew that this was the
extreme left of our lines, and the Captain
of the One Hundred and Sixteenth, whom
l relieved, told me that the Shenandoah
River was near by the picket line. For the
rest, knew that had about two dozen
picket posts, stretched over half mile. /
cautioned them to be vigilant, and returned
to my reserve, numbering thirty or forty
men.
The night wore away. The excitement